Demons
by ImagineDragon Bastille
Summary: Smoke invaded her lungs and a searing heat burned her skin. "Mama? Papa?" She cried, opening her eyes. "Natalia! Run! Ru-" her mother's voice was cut off with a sharp gunshot. Followed by another. My version of how Natalia became Natasha, her past, and how she met Clint Barton.
1. Chapter 1

**I decided to start over with a story of Natasha's past, so I'm going to delete Lost In the Fire. Anyways, i hope you like this one and please review at the end because right now it'll help me decide if this story is any good or not and if i should keep updating. Enjoy :)**

Natalia coughed and stumbled out of her bed. The smoke was too thick to open her eyes, but the searing heat was evidence enough that threat was imminent.

"Мама? Папа?" (Mama? Papa?) She cried, opening her eyes.

"Наталья! Беги! Проб- " (Natalia! Run! Ru-) her mother's voice was cut off with a sharp gunshot. Followed by another.

"Мама!" she cried as she made for her door. But a thick curtain of flames eating away her door quickly deterred her. Natalia turned and ran for her window. On the second floor, she would have to jump down, but it was better than the fire. She climbed through the window. Her survival instinct took over and she swung herself over the edge, the sharp gutter biting into her hands. She let go. For a moment she was suspended in the air, completely weightless. And then she hit the ground.

Watching her escape from a car, Ivan spoke into his radio, "я хочу, чтобы она," (I want her)

* * *

><p>"Le rapport de niveau 7 à la salle de formation -4C," (All level 7's report to training room -4c) an intercom blared in French. The red room taught their recruits to be completely fluent in 11 languages: Russian, English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Swahili, Dutch, and Portuguese. To keep them fluent instructions were intermittently issued in foreign languages.<p>

Of the 53 recruits initially in the Black Widow program only 9 survived the 10 brutal years to become a level 7, the highest level. Natalia made sure she survived. She had to.

In a room with 9 twin beds and 9 thin blankets, 9 girls quickly got up from their beds, it was 2:30 am. They had 4 minutes to prepare for the day's trials. But they had grown accustomed to these irregular awakenings by now.

"Recruits, you have made it this far. Now it is time for your final test. Your test to become the Black Widow and serve Mother Russia. Only one of you will survive." Ivan told them. "You will receive a time and place on your pager. Do not be late." With that they saluted Ivan and left. This was the moment they had been training for, had killed for; to have a chance at becoming the Black Widow. They silently walked back to their room. Each absorbed in her own thoughts. At 7:30 the first girl, Anastasia, looked down at her pager and silently left the room, head held high. After all, she had survived this much, she could do this. 33 minutes later two trainers came in and dragged a cot away. They all knew what had happened. Every time a cot was taken, someone had died. 9 years ago, Natalia would have been sad that a girl she had considered a sister, a close friend at least, had died. Now, she felt nothing. Not giving a f*ck about people you would otherwise care about was a trait you had to develop in the red room. Sentiment was a weakness that only got you killed. 12 minutes later, Izabella left. An hour later Larisa left, 41 minutes later a cot was dragged away. The remaining 6 girls sat in silence, the only sound their quiet breathing. Kristina left. 54 minutes, and then a cot was dragged away. Nadiya left, taking another cot with her. Svetlana left. No cot was taken. Sofia left, 11 minutes later a cot was taken, leaving just Natalia and Mariya. Finally, Natalia received a room and time on her pager. The time was 4 minutes away. She had long since packed her weapons. She left, leaving Mariya.

As she briskly walked down the deserted corridors of the red room labyrinth, though she had long since memorized the layout, it was enormous. her soft footsteps seemed to resound in the deserted corridor. Finally she arrived at room 221B. She cautiously opened it, the cold, metal handle in her hand. It was 7 minutes until a trainer came in.

"When I leave, proceed through the back door. Get to the top." With that she simply left, the door shutting behind her. Setting her jaw, Natalia slipped through the back door. A hand softly on her gun holster, the cool metal felt natural under her hand. She was in a building of some sort. Evidently, she was still in the red room, as she had not ascended or descended any levels. But she was in a building. The walls were grey. Glancing up, Natalia counted at least 5 floors. _All the sh*t we went through and the deciding test is to get to the top of this building? _Natalia thought. And then she thought _five out of the seven to have gone died. They were not amateurs_. Another lesson from the red room; never think you're the best in any situation. A soft rustle of cloth, Natalia had her gun in her hand, pointed at the noise. A sharp bang sent her behind a corner. After a moment, Natalia returned fire. A body fell to the floor. Upon closer inspection, Natalia saw that the body was a trainer.

_Get to the top_._ Get to the top._ Natalia kept repeating these words while cautiously going up a flight of stairs. She rounded a corner. By the time she realized that threat was imminent (.7 seconds), a person had twisted her arm and effectively disarmed her of her gun. With her liberated arm, Natalia pulled out a knife and slashed at her assailant, causing him to let go of her arm and crouch into a defensive stance. Natalia crouched, poised for attack or defense, as she watched the trainer's every move, for one mistake could prove fatal. She watched as his legs tensed and knew then that he was going to lunge at her. Another moment where she was and she would have been dead. Twirling out of the way of his blade, Natalia threw her knife at him with deadly aim, but not unlike her, he had been taught to survive and barely managed to dodge a fatal hit, the knife instead grazing his tricep. Grimacing, he continued his onslaught and punched her in the shoulder. Hardly discouraged, Natalia kicked him in the knee. Hard. He collapsed, his knee at an unnatural angle. Leaving him on the floor, Natalia relieved him of his weapons and stocked up her own. Knowing that there were cameras watching her every move, Natalia walked across the floor, to the next stairwell.

The second level resembled an office. There were grey cubicles in the middle, forming two hallways on the left and right side. Occupying each cubicle was a desk, chair, and shelf. The whole floor seemed deserted. But it was seldom that anything was what it initially appeared to be in the red room. Out of a cubicle a knife came whirling towards her head. Only 10 years of brutal training kept Natalia alive. She rolled into the cubicle that was adjoined to her attacker. She stayed absolutely still; any movement could give her position away behind the thin wall that could easily be pierced by a bullet. She heard a soft click of metal and pinpointed the trainer's positioned. Slowly, quietly, she pulled the trigger and heard it hit its target. No sooner had she killed one assailant then two more appeared in the open side of the cubicle. Firing two shots, Natalia ducked behind a desk. It was too silent. They should have returned their fire by now. it was too quiet. Natalia quietly took a knife and cut her way through the thin wall of the cubicle and climbed into the adjoining one. A grenade, thrown into the recently vacated cubicle, exploded, blasting Natalia into the vulnerable hallway. there was one flaw with their plan though, they were to close to the blast zone. As she stood up into a defensive stance, an enormous figure punched her back down on to the ground. The man unsheathed a knife and made to stab her, but as he threw his weight behind his thrust, Natalia rolled away. As she got up she pulled his arm down. His momentum propelled him to the floor. Natalia drew a knife and with a flick of her wrist sent it into his heart. She grabbed the hilt of her blade and pulled it out.

Natalia was blinded by the dark. She peered through the thick darkness. Instinctively, her eyes dilated and her ears sharpened, picking up sounds she formerly had not detected. Before she fully registered what she had sensed, Natalia had a gun pointed into the darkness, poised on her toes. A soft rustle of cloth. She pulled the trigger. A body crumpled to the floor. She quietly walked through the room, careful to not make any noise or clue o where she was, noise got you killed. Her body running on adrenaline, Natalia made her way through the room. Out of nowhere, somebody tackled her to the ground. He landed on top of her. Before she could adequately defend herself, a searing pain erupted in her shoulder.

"D*mnit" Natalia swore, grimacing. She reached over with her uninjured, free arm and pulled the knife out. By now her eyes had somewhat adjusted to the dark and out of her peripheral vision she saw another knife swinging toward her head. She reached up and blocked the am swinging the knife. She twisted it until she heard a satisfying crack. The knife clattered onto the floor next to her. Blocking and dodging his punches, Natalia tried to wiggle her legs free, but to no avail; although most of his body weight was focused on her upper body, he was still strong enough to keep her legs pinned. She twisted on to her hip, curling into the fetal position. Her head by his leg, she pulled out a knife and slashed his leg causing him to roll over. Crouched down, she stabbed him in the lower chest. After that, the entire floor seemed eerily deserted. The silence thick and unsettling, Natalia pulled open a door and was greeted with an onslaught of light. In front of her was a welcoming stairwell. One step closer.

As she opened the door, a figure loomed ahead of her. This floor, the fourth floor, rather resembled a labyrinth of halls and corridors filled with dead ends. The hallways were white. The ceiling was white. The floor was white. Everything was white. The color itself seemed to be too loud after the blinding darkness. Natalia ran past the figure, turned, and threw a Taser ball at him. Blue electricity snaked up his body. In front of her, two men turned a corner and ran at her. Natalia dropped to her hands and swept out one of the men's legs out from underneath him. While he was still down Natalia kicked the other's knee out, grabbed his lapels, and using her hip and leverage, threw him to the ground. Another figure was waiting for her as she rounded a corner. His stance was a bit off. His legs were too far apart, making it so that with a small push, he would be off balance. Natalia ran at him, and using his thigh as a launching pad, flipped into the air and landed behind him. Using a garrote wire, she strangled him, softly laying him onto the ground. Her next victim never stood a chance. As she rounded a left corner she sprinted at him, and jumping up, wrapped her thighs around his neck. She twisted around his body, landing in a defensive stance. After taking a moment to ensure that he was truly dead, she took off again. She turned right. The hall was empty.

" – eading towards the west wing." She heard a staticy radio go off around the corner. Footsteps; but too many steps to be just one person, there were two, maybe three. Quietly, she unhooked two smoke bombs from her belt. She turned the corner and threw them at the feet of two trainers. While they were still disoriented, Natalia swept out their legs from one of them and kicked the remaining one in the head. He crumpled to the ground. Meanwhile, the other one had gotten up and had a gun aimed at her heart. Before he could shoot, Natalia had twisted the gun out of his hands and was now pointing it at him. She smashed his head with the gun. A steel grey door catching her attention, Natalia made for it. Inside were the stairs she had been searching for.

A shiver went down Natalia's spine. After years of training, surviving, Natalia had learned to trust her instincts above all things. She froze for a moment. Detecting what it was that was unsettling her. Before she could adequately find out, a bullet whistled past her head. She dove past one of the various blocks that were miscellaneously placed. The fifth floor fairly simulated a paintball range, the one exception being that the bullets were not filled with fluorescently colored paint. She landed on her knees behind a block while pulling out her own gun. Two rounds demolished the block she was behind. Natalia tilted her head up so she could pinpoint the exact location of her assailant. The majority of his body was hidden behind a wall. While he was still reloading, Natalia unhooked a smoke bomb and threw it at his feet. The man coughed and batted at the smoke, as if that would make a difference. Natalia silently ran around him and took cover behind a car. Obviously this floor was meant to simulate a civilian setting. As the man searched for Natalia, she snuck up behind him and leapt onto his back. Using her legs to prevent any head movement, Natalia swung the rest of her body towards his torso and he fell to the ground, his neck snapped. As Natalia ran past several cars a line of bullets followed her. Seeing an opportunity, she sharply turned behind a black truck. But as she had slowed down to turn, a bullet hit her left abdomen.

"F*ck. F*ck." Natalia swore. She could deal with the pain, but with both a knife wound and a bullet in her abdomen, she would start to lose a tremendous amount of blood. It would only be a matter of time before her body forced her to loose consciousness. She pressed her body into against the car. When she ran she had counted at least 6 snipers. Running through the middle of the landscape was a bridge made of rope and wood, which was where the snipers were. Her car was parked near the edge of the perimeter with several cars parked next to it. Sinking into a sitting position in front of the tire, Natalia thought.

" Why hello darling," a voice from behind her sprung her into action. From the voice alone she determined the distance from her to him: 1 and a half meters. She planted her hands on the ground and swung her feet at him. He was crouched down, like her, and had evidently crawled to her. He leapt out of the way, landing few feet in front of her, grinning.

"Ivan really has toned down his game for making you beauties hasn't he?" Natalia only glared in response. Something about the way he was merely playing with her, not fighting her, made Natalia unsettled. He acted as though he had bested all the recruits in the program.

"иди к черту" (Go to h*ll) Natali muttered.

"What was that darling?" Natalia suppressed a shudder. Steeling herself, Natalia leapt into the air and jumped over him, kicking his head as she passed him. Instead of resisting her, he simply used the momentum of her kick to roll forward. Reaching into her belt, Natalia took out one of her smoke bombs. As he recovered she threw it at his feet.

"Oh you're a feisty one aren't you?" as he taunted her, she silently ran behind him and jumped onto his back. A burden of weight unsuspectingly thrown onto his back, he stumbled forward, catching his balance. Flipping out two knives form her sleeves, Natalia stabbed them into his back. Twisting them out, she slashed his chest. His writhing made it difficult to ensure that she did lasting damage. Leaping off, she stabbed his spinal cord, which would paralyze him instantly. She ran to the end of the enclosure, searching for the grounding ropes that secured the bridge. They were in the middle, attached to a wooden telephone pole. Natalia climbed up the pole like a mad man, for she knew that it was only a matter of seconds before she got shot. The thin metal stakes protruding from it bit into her hands.

Finally she reached the top. Using her knife, she cut through the ropes that secured the bridge. The men realized what was happening too late. Following the bridge, they fell like stones. Natalia scrambled down, her new objective to find out where to go next, as there were no doors in the enclosure, except the stairwell leading down. Trying to staunch the blood flow from her abdomen, Natalia wearily walked through the wreckage. She found a door hidden behind a blue sedan. Turning the handle, Natalia opened the door. Inside was a glass tube. It slid open with a hiss as she approached it. Cautiously, she stepped into it. Once the door was closed the tube plummeted into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took me a while to update, I've been kinda busy, I have an essay due on Tuesday so that been take up most of my time and creativity towards writing. Anyway, hope you like this chapter :)**

Natalia felt her heart drop. She had been trained to be immune to such disorientations, but nonetheless, she still felt that plummeting drop. The last time she had been dropped like this had been from a helicopter, cuffed.

_A blinding light shone through her eyelids, waking her up. Jumping out of her bed, she quickly saluted before they came in. 31 other girls mirrored h__er, knowing the consequences if they didn't salute. The heavy metal door unbolted and_ slid_ open._

_Guards came piling in, carrying their sweaty, vile smell with them. Each guard said nothing, only grabbing the girls one by one. A burly guard grabbed her arms and cuffed her hands behind her back, she new better then to resist them. He took out a cloth and pulled it over her eyes, subjecting her to darkness. She was led out of their room, the scuffling of other feet following her. Tight, iron like h__ands gripped her shoulders, annihilating any thought of escape or resistance._

_In the distance she heard a helicopter's rotors, preparing for take off. The cloth around her eyes was starting to bite uncomfortably into her skin, but right now that was the least of her worries. Finally a chilled winter wind blew in her face, rippling her hair, signifying that they were out of the compound. The helicopter was much closer now, only a few meters away. _

"активизировать_ " (Step up,) her guard commanded roughly in her ear. She complied, stepping up into the metal platform in the helicopter. After a few more girls came they took off. Natalia sat in her seat her heart thumping, the looming prospect of another test ahead of her. After several minutes, 13 minutes 27 seconds by her calculation, they stopped their ascend. All was quiet for a moment, save for a seat unbuckling. Until a scream erupted, slowly fading into the air below them. Natalia sat rigid in her seat, senses prickling. A few seconds later, another short lived cry burst from the girl that had just been thrown off the helicopter, probably still cuffed. Natalia sat in her seat, decoding the situation unfolding before her. Evidently one by one they were throwing off the girls. She listened as the unbuckling of belts grew closer and closer, until hands groped her seat buckle until it_ unclicked.

"_Наталья__, __вы__получите__выталкивается__из__этого__вертолета__. __Сопротивление__не__добьешься__, __кроме__из__этого__вертолета__, __только__тогда__у__вас__не__будет__парашют__. " (Natalia, you will get pushed out of this helicopter. Resisting will get you nowhere except out of this helicopter, only then you won't have a parachute.) Ivan whispered in her ear, his breathe chilling her more than the cold winter sky. Natalia clenched her jaw, attempting to prepare herself for the Fall. A parachute was strapped to her back and the blindfold was ripped off her eyes. And before she could do anything else, she was shoved out. Her heart leapt into her throat._

_ After a moment of falling, Natalia regained her bearings. Well, as well as she could not knowing which way was up at this point. The wind rippled her face. She frantically thought of how to get out of the handcuffs, trying to dispel the thought of the hard, inevitable ground. Finally, an idea came to her, propelled solely by the instinct to live. Her hands were cuffed behind her back, she brought her knees to her chest and looped her hands inder her legs, so they were now in front of her. It was a bit tricky, due to the buffeting winds, but she managed. Try as she might, her arms and shoulders weren't flexible enough to reach for the parachute strap with the cuffs restraining her movement; she had to get them off. _

_Natalia spared a moment to glance through her slitted eyelids at the ground. She had at least 3 minutes before she hit the ground. Bracing herself, she forced her wrist to break against the metal cuff. After her wrist was twisted at an unnatural angle, she was able to slip her wrist out. She glanced at the ground again, ensuring her feet were pointed at the ground. If she pulled her chute while she was sideways or upside down, her parachute would do little to slow her fall, and she doubted they had given her a second. Her feet angled toward the earth. She pulled the strap and all at once she was lifted out of her descent._

Natalia took in a deep breath. Finally, the tube jolted to a halt, causing Natalia to stumble a but. The doors slid open.

"Natalia, you have performed beautifully." Ivan congratulated, smiling, "Take her," he nodded to a guard standing by the door. The guard led her out of the room, a hand on the small of her back, guiding her. He led her to the recovery wing.

* * *

><p>Natalia woke up. For the first time in 10 years she woke up with a heavy blanket weighing her down. She woke up on her own, not to the sound of the metal door unbolting. And this made Natalia more unsettled than ever. She glanced at her bedside. Form the moment she woke up she knew she was in the recovery wing, the sterile smell alone told her that. Ever since she was young the recovery wing had been a place of peace. No one was attacked in the recovery wing, the red room liked to ensure that their recruits stayed in pristine condition, which was ironic due to the fact that they had killed as many as 40 girls. A scarred girl would not do well to serve her country for the red room's program purpose.<p>

The only bad memory form the recovery wing happened when she was little, and it was fuzzy. She had asked about her parents. They didn't respond. Instead, they took her to some section of the recovery wing. They strapped her to a chair. They injected her with something. She didn't know what it was, but she could recognize the smell, for some reason it was familiar. And then they would ask her all these questions. Little did she know it, but the red room's doctors were slowly implanting 'facts' in her brain.

Every month the red room would go through this routine with the recruits ranging form the age of 5 to 12. The girls never remembered these sessions, but the chemical smell had always stuck with Natalia. Whenever she smelled it she would fight. She would fight for all it was worth, but she never rememberd these small rebellions. The purpose of these sessions was to wipe away any past memories of their previous life before the red room.

"Follow me." A trainer nodded to Natalia. Silently, Natalia got out of her bed and followed him. She was wearing a red shirt and black leggings. He led her to Ivan's office and then left her.

"Natalia, you have completed the first part of you test. And now you will have to face an even greater test to see if you truly have the heart to become the Black Widow." He handed her a case of knives. "You may have four,"

"I can take whatever I want?" Natalia verified.

"Yes" Natalia surveyed the knives. She pulled out two thin, silver knives and slid them into her boots. She braided her hair into a single braid down her back, weaving a knife in. Last of all, she pulled out a 7-inch blade combat knife. Acknowledging she was done, Ivan pulled open the door and gestured for her to go through. He led her through a series of passages. They stopped at a generic, metal door. Natalia felt her senses pick up the way they did whenever she got nervous.

"Good luck," with that he pushed her through the door. The room was about 30 meters by 30 meters. Smooth steel rose form the ground to 20 meters high, and at the top was a mirror. Ivan and the other red room director must have been watching. Izabella stood in the corner, her body twitching at even the slightest of movements. Natalia walked over to the wall opposite of her. 3 minutes later Svetlana stumbled in. Evidently Mariya had not survived the previous day's trials.

And then it dawned on Natalia. There could only be one Black Widow and three recruits had survived. Natalia steeled her mind. Her body alert, aware of everything in the room. A bead of sweat slid down Izabella's neck. Svetlana stood poised on her toes, eyes darting. The events to come would become a defining moment in Natalia's life.

** Sorry there wasn't much action in this one, but I promise there'll be more in the next chapter. ****I got the flashback in the helicopter from my other story, nightmares, and Ill probably incorporate some of the stuff that's in nightmares into this story. Tell me what you think, constructive crisis miss welcome, as are plot ideas. Please tell give me feedback and review! **


	3. Chapter 3

She stood on her toes. Her senses went on autopilot, picking up on every small detail of the room. Natalia waited, not wanted to make the first move in the bloodbath to come. She had to survive. She was a survivor. She had not come this far to far to be felled now.

'You will survive. You will survive. you will survive.' Natalia repeated this, determination coursing through her veins.

Svetlana was the first to move. She ran towards Izabella, a knife in her hand. But Izabella hadn't survived 10 years in the red room for nothing. Dropping down, she swept Svetlana's feet out form under her. Seeing an opportunity to strike, Natalia was at Izabella's side in a moment. Izabella whipped around. Natalia blocked the punch Izabella threw at her and kicked her in the thigh. She stumbled.

By now Svetlana was up and had Natalia in a headlock. Before she could twist her neck, Natalia stabbed her in the abdomen with a knife. Blood dripped from her wound, but that hardly seemed to discourage her. Natalia was now in between her two opponents. She dove out of the way as Svetlana lunged at her. Her lunge had pulled her off balance, so Izabella pulled the girl's outstretched arm. Svetlana used that momentum to roll out of the way. Before she was up, Izabella had a knife swinging toward her head.

Natalia stood crouched from a few feet away, having deduced that that was the best course of action for her well being. She would watch the two fight and then battle the winner. Svetlana reached out and blocked her arm. Svetlana pulled out a knife and swung it at Izabella. She jumped of Svetlana.

Svetlana glanced at Natalia, her eyes landing on her for only a split second. But that was long enough for Natalia to catch the look. Svetlana glared at Izabella. Having already gauged the distance from her to Natalia, Svetlana threw the knife she was holding at Natalia. The glance Svetlana had given her saved her life. The tiniest detail could save your life.

As Svetlana's wrist flicked, she let go of the knife, it spinning with a deadly trajectory aimed at Natalia's heart. Her instincts came to life more than ever and she dove out of the way, unfortunately coming up right next to Izabella, who took no hesitancy in slashing Natalia's side. A fire erupted in her side. Natalia backed away in a defensive stance. Blood rushed to the afflicted area. For a moment all was still, save blood dripping on the floor, staining the white mat. Svetlana lunged on top of Natalia, easily toppling her with a 20 pound weight advantage.

Svetlana landed entirely on top of her, leaving merely 2 inches of body visible underneath.

* * *

><p>"Well, this won't be good," Dmitri, commented on the latest happening unfolding underneath them. As customary, all the red room directors had taken bets on who would win this fight they had waited 10 years to witness.<p>

"Looks like you'll have to pay up Dmitri, Izabella doesn't look like she'll be dying first,"

"D*mn," Dmitri cursed. Ivan stood silent, faithful that his most promising recruit wouldn't be smitten down so easily.

* * *

><p>'F*ck,' Natalia thought as the air was forced out of her lungs. The one fortunate thing about Svetlana landing completely on top of her was that now she couldn't deliver any fatal blows. Her hands had landed by her head, leaving her body completely vulnerable if Svetlana moved.<p>

As Svetlana pulled out a knife, she had completely forgotten about Izabella, a mistake that would ultimately cost her her life. Izabella saw her chance and made to stab Svetlana in the lungs, which would cause them to fill with blood. Blood filled lungs was really not the best thing to have happen. At the same time Izabella made to stab her unaware victim, Svetlana shifted her weight to pull out a knife. Instead of delivering a deathblow, Izabella merely delivered a painful blow to her side, tearing part of her kidneys. Svetlana rolled off Natalia, which greatly relieved her aching lungs.

Natalia, already in the motion of pulling a knife form her hair in preparation to Svetlana's assault, slashed at the air where Svetlana had been a moment ago. Svetlana had rolled off of Natalia, her hands now trying to staunch the blood seeping through her shirt. As Svetlana was distracted with her wound, Natalia through her knife at Svetlana, hitting her heart.

* * *

><p>"D*mn, here you go," Dmitri handed a wad of rubles to a blonde man, currently looking smug. They watched as Svetlana crumpled to the floor. Her glass like eyes still open, staring into nothingness. Her mouth slightly open in surprise.<p>

"Iosif, hand it over," a man said to the man to his left.

"Well, they better make thsi fight good," Iosif muttered. Many other exchanges of money were happening and by the time the men looked back down, Natalia and Izabella were locked in a deadly battle.

* * *

><p>Izabella had her backed into a wall, a knife inches away from her throat. She had her fore arm braced against Izabealls. To escape, she kneed Izabella in the stomach.<p>

"F*ck you, b*tch," Izabella muttered at Natalia, having been forced to let go. Despite the circumstances, Natalia bit back an amused chuckle. For 10 years she had grown with this girl. And whether or not the red room or the girls liked it or not, after 10 years of being together, one could not simply have no connection with another. Natalia knew this. But she also knew the bigger picture. She was doing this to become the Black Widow. It had become her life's goal. It was either become the Black Widow, or die. And she opted for the former, even if it meant killing a girl she considered a sister. She had to. She had to.

Instead of chuckling, Natalia leapt at Izabella. Bracing a foot on her stomach, she slid in between her legs, which forced Izabella to flip over her. Before she could recover properly, Natalia had her wrapped in a hold. Izabella flailed, but the effectiveness of Natalia's hold proved impregnable. Using her remaining knife, Natalia plunged it into Izabella's side. The cold, metal hilt in stark comparison against the combined temperature of her and Izabella's blood.

'Emotion gets you compromised, do not show emotion. Do not feel.' the mantra chanted in Natalia's head. 'You will survive. You will survive. You will survive. You will survive. You will survive.' these mantras repeated in her head. these were the two mantras that had propelled her countless hardships, mentally and physically.

Warm, foreign blood seeped onto her hands. Izabella's struggles become less strong. Until finally, she grew limp. She had killed her. She had _killed_ her. But she had survived. There were so many dead. So many of her sisters. Her sisters. Many of whom she had killed. Natalia let a single tear fall onto Izabella, as if that could mend everything she had done. Everyone she had killed.

**Hope you like this chapter! I've been trying to update frequently, so hopefully there'll be another chapter up soon. Please review and tell me what you think :)**


	4. Chapter 4

She felt Izabella grow limp underneath her. After ensuring that she was, in fact, dead, she pulled out the knife. The body stopped bleeding after death, so by now the blood flowing from Izabella's side was nearly a trickle. She had done it. She had become the Black Widow. She had survived. She had gone, killed, her way through all the obstacles in her way.

And then a tremor of emotion passed through her. She had _killed_ so much. She had a tally. After these tests she was now up to 13. Four of them had been sisters. Girls who were all in the same boat as her, who were only trying to survive. She felt a hot tear well up in her eyes. Just this once she would allow a single tear to fall. A sort of apology to those who she had killed. But that couldn't do anything now. They were all still dead, nothing could brign them back. But she had become the Black Widow, what she had aspired of becoming for her entire remembered life.

She couldn't remember much about her life before the red room. In the haziness, lying in the back of her subconscious, but somehow always there, she had three memories. A figure, she couldn't picture a face, leaning over her, in her bed, kissing her goodnight. Her soft, blue curtains that hung over her two-story window. And fire. Hot, burning flames surrounding her. The smoke filling up her lungs.

Natalia shook away the memories. She had become the Black Widow. A steely look of determination sparked in her eyes. She had killed, yes. But otherwise she would be dead. She would have no regrets. She would not feel. Emotions only got you killed in the espionage business. Emotions only got you killed.

Natalia was shaken out of her thoughts as a door opened.

"Natalia," Ivan smiled. You have proven yourself worthy of the title the Black Widow."

"Thank you sir," Natalia acknowledged him. He walked out the door, implying that Natalia follow. He led her through a series of hallways.

"I have always had faith in you," he continued. " You always excelled among the other recruits." This had been a subconscious thought in Natalia for several years, but she never acted like she was the best.

"But you never acted as if you were superior to the others. You maintained a sense of humbleness. I have seen many times a talented recruit get killed due to their cockiness. But not you, you never underestimated you opponents. And that is why you survived," they stopped at a door. "Congratulations Natalia, you have become the Black Widow,"

"Thank you sir,"

"You will wait here until further orders, understood?"

"Yes sir," She was in a bare room with. In the corner was a bed, and next to the bed was a small desk. And that was the extent of her room. Glancing at the ceiling, Natalia saw a small security camera monitoring her. With nothing better to do, Natalia lay down on the bed. Her senses remained half alert as she dozed.

"_Goodnight my Natalia," a woman said to her as she kissed her on the cheek. Natalia strained to see her face, but it was too dark. Her mother closed her light blue curtains and left the room. The next thing she knew was the heat. She tried to breathe, but instead was greeted with smoke. Coughing, she flung off her blankets. He small, bare feet landed on the floor as she swung herself out of bed. Even the floor was hot. She started for the door but stopped. She turned towards her window, but that had a wall of fire too. Making a circle, Natalia saw that she was entrapped within a ring of flames. The heat was getting more intense. The smoke thick. The flames eating away the floor, advancing towards her. it was so hot, almost unbearable. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the heat._

* * *

><p>Natalia woke with a start, muscles tense. Footsteps neared her door. Natalia smoothed her hair into a ponytail and took a deep breathe to calm herself. The door opened, revealing three guards. Natalia frowned. Usually there was one guard, maybe two that escorted the recruits. Never had she had three.<p>

"Where are we going?" She asked. They motioned for her to follow them. Two of them walked next to her shoulders, and the third walked behind her. They walked to a pair of swingy double doors. They pushed their way through to reveal hallway. The guards, seeming to know where to go, turned left and then they stopped at another door.

"Come in," a voice called after a knock. They walked in. Inside was a sterile surgery table with leather straps. She recognized the man as the red room 'doctor', Eduard Zlotnik. A memory awakened deep within her subconscious. Without thinking, Natalia started fighting. A deep surge rose form within her. She couldn't do this. They wouldn't do this to her again. She started to flail her arms, trying to land a punch. But there was a reason there were three guards instead of two, and the past two days had taken their toll on Natalia. Before long, they had pushed her on the table and a leather cuff secured to one arm. And then the other arm. And then her legs.

"Calm down Natalia, this is for you own good," Ivan harshly said. Natalia took quick, short breathes. She was completely helpless, at their mercy. She tugged at the straps one more time. And the the complete and utter helplessness feeling resurged. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Try as she might, the fear, the helplessness, could not be repressed. She stared wide-eyed at the doctor. She had no memories of her monthly visits here, but her body did. The only thing she knew was that this was a bad place. A place where bad things happened. She turned her focus to Ivan. By now he and Zlotnik were in deep conversation.

"Now your completely sure this will work?"

"Yes, my calculations have shown that 74% of the patients injected with this serum survive. Part of it is the body's fitness, and she seems to be in prime condition."

"And what is the other part?" Ivan asked.

"The mind's will power. I believe that somewhere in the process the mind either decides to accept this change or not. We are literally changing her genetic makeup."

Ivan walked back to Natalia, "You are going to be injected with an enhancer serum that will help your future."

"You will heal twice as fast as the normal human being. Your bones can mend themselves more quickly, and your skin and muscle tissue will be able to heal without a scar. You will be better." Zlotnik said. Natalia watched as Zlotnik came closer. 'What the h*ll are you b*stards doing to me?' Natalia thought, another surge of panic welling up inside of her. She felt a prick on her arm, and then her vision started to tunnel, the panic forgotten.

The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was Ivan saying, "Good Luck Natalia."

**I may update pretty soon, as its a three day weekend for me :). I hope you liked this chapter, so please please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I have a rough idea of where i'm going to take this story, but ideas are welcomed. Reviews really help me update more often, so please review when your done. Hope you like it :)**

Her mind was groggy. Everything, her memory, was hazy. Before she opened her eyes, Natalia took stock of her situation. She took slow, rhythmic breathes, like that of someone asleep. One of her hands was cuffed to her bed, and no other sounds arose from wherever she was, save a whir of machines.

'F*ck….. Why is everything so…. Hazy?' she slowly thought. And then she remembered the past day's events. Ivan had injected her with an enhancer serum. They were supposed to make her better. Well, she as sure as h*ll didn't feel any better. 43 minutes until she heard something that signaled that she was not the only person in the entire building. A door opened. Footsteps.

"Natalia, I know you're awake." Ivan said. Natalia rolled over to face him. She sat up, her eyes taking a moment to adjust from her supine to her vertical position. "It seems your body has welcomed the enhancers. But nonetheless your body has been stretched to its limit the past several days.

'Several days?' Natalia thought. "How long have I been… asleep?" she asked.

"Four days. After some struggling, your body accepted the serum." Ivan said. "But, these past four days have taken a toll on your body, so you won't be leaving this room until tomorrow. And after that, you will only train, nothing extensive. Dr. Zlotnik will be monitoring you. Understood?"

Natalia gulped, processing the information, "Yes sir."

Ivan opened the door, "Remember, don't leave this room until someone comes to get you."

'Like I could leave while I'm cuffed to this f*cking bed' Natalia thought. The door slammed shut, followed by the sound of a bolt sliding over the door.

After Ivan left Natalia glanced to her left. There was a moniter that was rhythmically pulsing. Natalia tore off the EKG stuck on her chest. From her bed, she surveyed her room. She was on her bed, in the middle of the room. To her right there was a nightstand, complete with a plastic cup of water, which she hastily gulped down, just then realizing how parched her throat was.

To her left lay the whirring machines that used to monitor her. She examined the cuff that secured her to the bed. It was a standard cuff, nothing extensive. With a little manipulation from the wires that were attached to the EKG machine Natalia picked the cuff. She rubbed the spot where the cuff had bitten into her skin. Now free, Natalia inspected the room. The door was secured with three bolts, there was no way she was going to get out of there through the door. Scanning the wall and ceiling, it became evident that there were on vents or windows to escape through. Natalia slumped on her bed, she was stuck there until the next _day. _

_She was standing in line. They were in one of the training facilities in the red room. Her red hair was braided, as were all the other girls'. In the center was a square, 7 feet by 7 feet. And then she knew what horror she was reliving. She saluted as a man entered the room. He looked the girls up and down and then glanced at his chart. He pointed to her. she stepped into the square. He pointed to another girl, Ekaterina. She stepped into the square. She felt adrenaline start pumping through her veins. The man nodded. Ekaterina made to punch her in the stomach, but she blocked that, their wrists colliding. Ekaterina stepped towards her and grabbed her lapel. She made to flip her on her head, but a swift punch to her ribs deterred her. She tried to punch Ekaterina, punch she ducked under it and kicked her in the side. Even in her dram state, Natalia felt her the impact bruise her ribs. She feinted a roundhouse punch. When Ekaterina went to block she reached out with her other arm and twisted her wrist. As her other option other than falling would be a broken wrist, Ekaterina fell to the ground. Before Ekaterina could get up she jabbed her windpipe, feeling it crush under the impact of her fingers. Ekaterina coughed, expelling blood. She cradled Ekaterina's head in her lap, looking at the man for permission. Ekaterina faintly struggled, unable to get any purchase to get out of the headlock. The man nodded. She sharply contorted her neck, feeling it snap under her hands._

Natalia jerked awake, her hands trembling. She tried to dispel the memory of the first time she killed. The feeling of her neck snapping in her hands. Her. Ekaterina. She wished she didn't know her name. It was worse that way.

* * *

><p>"D*mnit, pull yourself together," she muttered, angry that she let her emotions take part in her mind. the clock read 5:45. D*mn, she had slept the entire night and part of the previous day. it wasn't until 6:30 that a guard was sent to retrieve her. she followed him to Ivan's office.<p>

"I hope you have rested?"

"Yes sir," She responded. A knock resounded through the door.

"Come in," Ivan called. Zlotnik entered. His shite lab coat seeming too white compared to Ivan's choice in décor.

"Your body has adapted well to the enhancers. But it may take a couple weeks to…. Iron out the kinks. So you are not to put any extensive stress on your body, understood?"

"No sparring until the doctor clears you," Ivan said.

She gripped the bar she hung to. The doctor said no sparring; well she wasn't, just staying in shape. 10 feet from the ground, Natalia lifted her legs in the air and pulled up. Her hips now even with the bar, Natalia hung horizontal to the ground. After a few moment of this position, she flipped so she was upright. It being 3:30 in the morning, the gym was completely deserted. She was now free to go anywhere in a hall that held her room anytime of the day. But the guards ensured that she didn't leave the corridor without an escort. She had slept about and hour and a half before she woke up. Unable to go back to sleep knowing that there was going to be some nightmare waiting for her, she opted to go work out.

Natalia pressed up to a handstand. The bar bit into her hand, not that it bothered her. She was now completely perpendicular to the bar. She stayed suspended there for a minute. Usually by now she would have had to drop down by now, but she didn't feel as fatigued as she should be. Getting bored merely doing a handstand on the bar, Natalia flipped off the bar. She landed perfectly in a 1 by 1 square.

She punched the bag. She didn't bother with taping her knuckles. This was one of the specialized dummies the red room made. It was a punching bag that was secured to the floor but had pegs protruding from the sides, offering a better simulation for sparring a person. Natalia punched the bag. A block with her right arm. Lower block with her left arm. Natalia ran on autopilot, striking and blocking.

She did this routine for two hours before taking a water, Natalia examined her knuckles. They were not raw, like she expected them to be. They were a little pink, but not bleeding. Evidently her enhancers were doing their job. She had longer stamina; her body healed itself twice as fast that of a normal person.

Natalia smiled, silently thanking Ivan for her enhancers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it's taken me a while to update, i just couldn't figure out how to write this chapter. Please review when your done, it really helps and encourages me :)**

"Romanava, report."

Four minutes later Natalia walked into Ivan's office.

"You have a mission." Natalia felt her heart soar. She had been confined in the red room for a month. "Your mission is to retrieve this hard drive from this man and then eliminate him with inconspicuous means." He handed a file to Natalia. Along with a photo of a small, black hard drive with a Russian insignia on it. It would be hard to mistake.

Name: Antonov Adamovitch.

Age: 43

Height: 6'1"

Hair color: black

Eye color: hazel

Family: none

Occupation: Doctor

"When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow at 800 for Moscow. You will have until the 17 of October to complete your mission." She had two weeks. Two weeks to locate and retrieve the hard drive, and tail, observe, and eliminate Adamovitch.

"Yes sir," Natalia.

Natalia stepped into the car awaiting her, her heart beating. This would only be the fourth time she had left the facility in 10 years. The previous times had been for the purposes of training. She didn't even have the slightest idea of where in Russia she was. She was wearing jeans, a blue sweater, Long lack boots, and a warm, black coat. She had decided on the alias Viktoriya Krupski, two semi common names in Russia. She kept repeating facts about Viktoriya Krupski. Her age, 20. She was touring through the major cities of Russia. She was born in in a small town just out side of Saint Petersburg.

Her wool sweater seemed to itch against her skin. According to the signs, the red room compound was just outside of Volgograd.

The car slid to a stop at the airport. Natalia stepped out onto the icy ground. From the trunk she collected her suitcase and purse. After passing through the ridiculously lax security, in her opinion, she walked to her terminal. Large, powdery snowflakes started falling, landing on the runways and planes coating them white. She ordered a large mocha form a barista. She didn't particularly like the taste of coffee, but they didn't serve tea, which would have been her first choice, so coffee it was.

* * *

><p>Natalia arrived in Moscow at 11:00 am. She walked out into the frisk cold and hailed a taxi. Research on her flight had shown that he worked at the European Medical Center, a hospital equipped for foreign patients. He had some backgrounds in neurology, immunology, and biochemistry. He was a very accomplished man.<p>

"Novotel Moscow Centre," She told the driver, who nodded in acknowledgement.

At her hotel Natalia searched more on Antonov Adamovitch and his business. He specialized in experimental drugs and the body's reaction to different substances. She scrolled through an article on him. Two years ago he had been experimenting with antibodies and their reaction in the human body. After 9 months of experimenting, the authorities shut down his facility, after saying that his methods were 'inhumane and unnatural'.

Through the means of social media, which she would utilize many times in the future, Natalia learned that Dr. Adamovitch had only been working at the European Medical Centre for about a month.

* * *

><p>"Ms. Krupski, Dr. Adamovitch will see you now," the receptionist called her name. After 3 days, Natalia had finally secured an interview with the doctor. Natalia got up form her seat, smoothing her white blouse. She followed the lady's clipped heels down the hall.<p>

"Ahh, Ms. Krupski, a pleasure," the doctor smiled. The red room's description had adequately described him, with his black hair and warm, hazel eyes.

"The pleasure is all mine Doctor," she smiled. "After hearing of your many contributions to modernizing medicine, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Adamovitch smiled.

"So, to business." Natalia smiled. She had changed her alias slightly to conform to her mission; Viktoriya Krupski was now a journalist. "What, of your many accomplishments, would you consider your most influential to society?"

"Well, I believe that it is my studies concerning the human immune system, and how we can improve it." Natalia nodded. "A couple years ago, I began researching how the body heals itself. I was studying the body's reaction to a formula, not too different from that of the super soldier serum." Natalia nodded. This interview was solely for her to observe Adamovitch and lead the conversation to the flash drive.

"Primarily, it decreased the time it took the body to heal, almost half the time, but there were a few….. glitches."

At this, Natalia focused more on Adamovitch. Her enhancers seemed incredibly similar to this 'formula' that the Doctor described. Adamovitch had only been working at the hospital for a month, about the same time that she got her enhancers. Surely the red room wouldn't let him go. Perhaps he was on the run.

"I was on the on the verge of uncovering something colossal, only a couple months away, but then the government shut me down. Everything I had researched down the drain. And then, an amazing opportunity presented itself…" Adamovitch trailed off, evidently covering up something he was not supposed to say.

"And…" Natalia pressed.

"That opportunity was…. Working here, at the European Medical Centre," He finished lamely. By now Natalia had deduced that Adamovitch was the doctor who had invented enhancers. After the government shut him down, the red room must have come to him, offering resources and money.

"Was your work on this formula ever recovered? It seems that it would be a huge medical discovery, helping the body heal faster."

"The authorities did not allow me to continue. If I were to start researching again, I would have to start from scratch," Adamovitch said. Natalia studied him. A bead of sweat trickled down his cheekbone.

Natalia put her hand around his, as if comforting him. "So your studies have not continued?" she said, staring into his eyes.

"No," He was lying. As he spoke Natalia felt his pulse. His eyes dilated. He had continued his research. And the red room had helped him. Perhaps he didn't realize whom he was working with. "Well, I have a patient I need to attend to, until next time Ms. Krupski?" He could barely conceal his eagerness to leave the room.

Natalia smiled, " Next time." Natalia watched him leave. On her way in she had palmed a personnel's ID badge. It read Nadiya Pavlov. It showed a picture of a woman in her mid 20's with blonde hair. Natalia picked up her purse and left for the lady's room. 10 minutes later Natalia emerged. She wore nurses' scrubs and had her blond wig pulled into a half pony.

She walked down a white hallway. After discreetly studying the directory map of the hospital, Natalia decided that her best bet of discovering where the flash drive was would be in the research section of the hematology department or the physiotherapy department.

"Excuse me?" A voice called form behind her, "Ma'am?"

Natalia turned around, "Yes?"

"Could you point me in the direction of the direction of the cardiology department?" An elderly woman with gray hair asked.

"Of course, its in the west wing and on the third floor. And the elevator will be a right and then a left from here," Natalia bluffed, smiling sweetly. Before the woman could do anything or question her directions, she turned and walked away.

Natalia stepped into the hematology department. Like all the other sections of the hospital the hematology department was bustling with business, probably busy saving lives. It made Natalia feel a bit guilty. She matched the fast pace of the doctors around her. After a few corridors she found the research section. She swiped her ID.

After 20 minutes of searching, Natalia decided to try the physiotherapy department. As she stepped into the research section of the physiotherapy department, Natalia glanced Adamovitch. She quickly bent her head over a patient's file, reading it furiously. She doubted her would recognize her, but she couldn't risk compromising this mission. After a while Adamovitch disappeared into a room. He finally emerged 35 minutes later. By now Nadiya Pavlov must have realized her ID was missing.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to not draw attention her. Without even glancing up the doctor moved a foot and returned to his case.

The room Adamovitch was in seemed to be his own personal office. Sitting in his chair Natalia cautiously opened his drawer. In it was patients' files. She opened the second drawer. Her hand felt the cool wood underneath several papers. She felt around for any abnormalities. There was a seam in the wood. Natalia carefully pulled out the papers to inspect the bottom of the drawer closer. Smiling, she slid a sheet of wood out of the drawer. Underneath laid a flash drive. With a Russian insignia printed onto it. Natalia palmed the drive hard drive and slipped out of the office.

* * *

><p>"Will then become increasingly colder after noon. Residents are advised to cover all skin when outside." Weatherman spoke. Admaovitch sat in his couch, most of his focus diverted to his steaming bowl of soup. Natalia's steps were covered by the TV.<p>

She forced her breathed to remain steady and silent. The newscaster on the TV kept talking, though her words seemed distant to Natalia. Her body grew hyperaware. She seemed to notice everything. The way Admaovitch was seated on the couch. The different pixels on the TV. Her ears picked up on sounds she had not formerly heard.

"Ah, D*mnit," he muttered, having spilled some on his pants. Adamovitch Heaved himself up from his seat and walked towards his kitchen. Natalia crept into the living room and slipped a pill of Cyanide into his water.


	7. Chapter 7

Within the three months following Natalia's first mission she completed five more. She had just come back after her fifth one. It had not gone according to plan. There had been a mess up with her alias. She had made a miniscule mistake, but her target had noticed. She had screwed up.

She was in her cold, drab room stitching her wounds. Rather then go to the recovery wing, which she had grown to despise after her years in the red room, Natalia opted to steal supplies from said recovery wing. She grimaced as she stitched her shoulder where it had gotten cut. The burn on her left forearm grew itchy, but she resisted the sensation. After patching herself up, she lay on her cot, dead tired, but nonetheless trying to dispel the urges to sleep. But the body can only go a number of hours before it slept. Natalia dozed off.

_She was running. Her feet pounded the wet, rainy, cement. Footsteps followed in her wake. Rain splattered on the asphalt road behind her. Her pursuer was getting closer. She could escape. All she had to do was run. She turned into a street and spared a glance behind her. The figure was tall this time, wearing a black overcoat. She knew it was coming. She braced herself, but she couldn't prepare herself for the explosion of fire. The heat was everywhere. White light danced in her eyes. When her vision cleared she saw that she was in a circle of fire. If she looked closely enough she could see all the faces of those she killed. Murdered. They were screaming. Some for mercy, others her name. _

"_You can have an out," The man said, inside the ring with her. He waved his hand and the fire parted like Moses with the Red Sea, forming a path. A path of redemption, a new beginning. She stared at him. The heat seemed distant now, far away. She took a step towards the path. She reached her hand out towards the cool, forgiving road. The road that would take her away from this h*ll. She was walking now, towards the path. The path was within reach; she could almost touch it with her fingertips. _

Natalia jerked awake. She swept a hand through her disheveled hair. Her sheets seemed to restrain her down to her bed. This wasn't the first time she had had this dream. They had started about the time she had become the Black Widow. Every time a man was chasing her. And then there was an explosion. The man would offer her a way out, and as she was stepping through the fire she would jerk awake, never able to see what happened next. Never able to finish her dream. Never.

'You are the Black Widow d*mnit, pull yourself together,' Natalia thought, calming herself down.

* * *

><p>Natalia sat in a wooden chair across from Ivan's desk. He was rummaging through his desk, searching for something. He had called for her to come to his office, presumably for a new mission. It had been 9 days since her dream and since then she had avoided sleeping for as long as humanly possible. Dreams were a pain in the *ss.<p>

Ivan frowned, "Your target's file is not in here. I'll just debrief you in the archives then." Natalia nodded. She followed Ivan through the red room's dimly lit halls.

The archives consisted of a huge room with numerous sections and files. Natalia passed sections labeled Terminated, MIA, KIA, Rogue Agents. She followed closely on Ivan's heels, discreetly reading the was Completed Missions, Incomplete Missions, Trainers, Directors, Agents.

The names started to blur together but after some moments a name caught Natalia's eye. Recruits. She was a recruit. During her training she had either been called just Romanova, or Recruit Romanova. Ivan was the only one in her memorable life that had called her Natalia. Her file was somewhere in that sections. Her full name. Where she was born. Her Mother and Father. Exactly how old she was.

"Here it is," Ivan turned into the Target section. Natalia dumbly followed him, mind whirling with endless possibilities of who she was. After a few minutes of searching Ivan finally pulled out a file.

Name: James Everret

Age: 31

Occupation: Lawyer

Height: 6'1"

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Blonde

"Your mission is to terminate this target, " Ivan told her back in his office. "You will fly to London tomorrow at 700. Report to my office tonight at 1100. Dismissed." Natalia saluted, inwardly frowning. She had almost always been given her alias. 4 times out of 5. She had 2 hours to spend before she had to be back in Ivan's office. She went to the gym.

* * *

><p>"So, Natalia." Ivan said, folding his hands onto his desk. "On you previous mission you made a slight error regarding your cover." Natalia's blood grew cold. She had been hoping that he would overlook that fact. After all, she had still completed her mission. But she was a fool to thinkn that they would overlook her mistake.<p>

"Yes sir," she said, digging her fingernail into her thumb pad. Over the years she had discovered that doing this distracted her from the real pain, physically and mentally.

"To ensure that it will not happen again, I have made some arrangements," He said. "Follow me,"

Natalia followed him through the winding passages and into a room with a bed and table. Her heart sped up and her breathed grew short and rapid. This was a bad place. This was the place where she had been injected with her enhancers. The place where she went if she messed up. This was a bad place.

Two guards stepped from nowhere and grabbed her arms. Something snapped inside of her and she started thrashing in their grip. Her foot connected with what seemed like a stomach. She felt something hit her back, causing her to stumble. She couldn't have been disoriented for more than 6 seconds, but it was enough time for the guards to haul her onto the bed and strap her waist down. She flailed her arms, trying to escape the iron grip of her assailant. But soon enough her arms were strapped down. And then her legs.

She tugged against the leather cuffs that secured her to the bed. She could only raise her arms about an inch. She pulled, but the straps proved sturdy. She was helpless. This was the feeling she associated with this room. The complete, utter, helplessness. She continued thrashing, pulling against her restraints. The skin where the cuffs were grew raw and red, but she hardly seemed to notice. A hand grabbed her arm and held it steady. Then, amidst all her panic and fear, she felt a prick in her arm.

Everything grew hazy, she had no idea where she was or what her name was. She knew nothing. A figure loomed above her.

"Your name is Emilie Rose Tyler. You are 22 years old and have just graduated Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. You are in London searching for a job. This man is your target." A photo of a man was thrust into her focus. He had blonde hair and was wearing a black suit.

"Eliminate him with no witnesses. Now, what is your name?"

"Emilie Tyler."

"How old are you?"

"I am 22 years old,"

"Why are you in London?"

"Because I have just graduated Brown University and am looking of employment." She said, barely hearing the words tumbling from her mouth. The figure turned to another person in the room.

"It seems that it has worked. Natalia Romanova is gone. For now." She felt her limbs grow tired. Her eyelids drooped.

Her only thought before she fell asleep was, 'Who the h*ll was Natalia Romanova?'

**Sooooo, i hope you liked this chapter, even though it was a little short. This chapter was kind of a lead up into my next chapter, which i hope to post within this week. Anyways, please review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

"_Your name is Natalia Romanova. You are the Black Widow and 17 years old. You have __successfully completed your mission. You are in the red room, a place where you belong." She felt __herself nod. "Where are you?"_

"_In the red room in Mother Russia. _

"_Who are you?"_

"_I am the Black Widow."_

Natalia woke up cuffed to a bed. She had a splitting headache. She thought back to how she had gotten here. Her last memory was a prick in her neck. Ivan had taken her to the Archives where she had seen a recruit section. She had been preparing for a mission when Ivan told her he would ensure that she didn't mess up with her alias again. A hazy memory tried to reach the surface. Ivan was there. Telling her she was Natalia Romanova. Searching for more memories from the past days, Natalia came up blank.

"Agent Romanova, I see you have woken up,"

"Yes sir," Natalia said wearily.

"You have completed your mission with not witnesses, well done."

"Thank you sir," She said. She had no recollection of her mission. The last thing she remembered was panic. She was strapped to a table, and then there was a prick on her neck.

"Well, you are in pristine condition, you are dismissed from the recovery wing." The doctor dismissed her.

Natalia headed back to her room. Something was still in her system and whatever it was it made her feel drained and tired. She hated it. When she got back to her room and sat on her bed. She didn't even remember lying down.

"_Your name is Emilie Rose Tyler. You are 22 years old and have just graduated Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. You are in London searching for a job. This is your target." _ _A photo of a man was thrust into her focus. He had blonde hair and was wearing a black suit. "Eliminate him with no witnesses. Now, what is your name?"_

"_Emilie Tyler." _

"_Why are you in London?" _

"_Because I have just graduated Brown University and am looking of employment." Her eyes grew heavy, and her dream shifted._

_She was in the same room as before, but no longer cuffed or restrained. She glanced at the clock sitting on a table beside her bed. It read 6:00. Her flight left in an hour. She stood up and walked out of her room._

_Her dream shifted again, and she found herself walking in an airport. Noises came from everywhere, echoing off the airport's spacious walls. People walked around her, pulling their luggage along with them. She was in London, England. The picture of a man was ingrained in her mind. He was blonde with blue eyes and a defined jawline. She didn't know who he was, all she knew was that he was her target. _

_She hailed a taxi and gave the man an address. She walked up a flight of stairs and into her flat. Her target was currently working at a factory. She suspected he was some undercover agent for an organization. The factory plant he worked at was also a major drug network. But it didn't matter who he was or what his intentions were, her mission was to eliminate James Everret. _

_She had been tailing him for 3 days now and after work each day he consistently went a bar, the Covent Garden Cocktail Club. On the fourth night she slipped into the restaurant adjacent to the Club. As usual, Everret walked into the club. Instead of flirting with pretty girls, he just talked. Not in an "I want to sleep with you way" more of an inquisitory way. One man he talked to seemed to get angry and the conversation grew heated. _

_It was well past midnight when he finally returned to his hotel. He was hunched over a desk when she slipped in through his window. He stiffened. He paused from examining a paper mauled with scribbles. His hand slipped under the desk. She stood in the shadows, still as a stone. Only 11 years of training prepared her for the knife hurling towards her head. She saw his wrist flick and dove out of the shadows. She rolled onto her feet, a gun in her hand. His eyes widened. He backed away and pulled out a pen. He pointed it at her and clicked something, but nothing happened._

"_D*mnit," he swore, looking at the pen, as if it was malfunctioning. She watched him wearily. He ran towards her with a knife. She whirled out of the way and struck his spinal cord. He stumbled to his knees, the blow momentarily shocking his body. But he was well trained and swung the knife towards her leg. She jumped back and kicked him in the chest. He landed on his back. She knelt down next to him and slit his throat. His eyes seemed to follow her as she stalked out of the room, not a single drop of blood on her hands._

Natalia woke with a start. She was curled up on her side. This dream had been different. She had never gone on a mission like that. Natalia put her thoughts aside.

* * *

><p>11 Days Later<p>

"Agent Romaonva, report." 3 minutes later Natalia walked into Ivan's office.

"Yes sir?"

"We've got another mission for you. This is your target," he handed her a file.

"When do I leave sir?"

"Tonight at 900. This is a class 7 target." By now Natalia was familiar with 'classes'. The higher the classification, the more imperative it became to complete the mission quickly. This would be her first class 7. "And for this mission we got you some toys." Ivan smiled.

Ivan showed to a large room filled with weapons. Some were obviously weapons, while others were disguised.

"This is a grenade." Ivan said, gesturing to what appeared to be a lighter. "To activate it you flip it open and press the button. Once the button is pressed you have 10 seconds. And it has a blast radius of 20 feet"

"Yes sir," Natalia nodded.

"And this is an audio recorder" Ivan held a pair of tiny earrings. "To activate this you squeeze the backing or whatever it's called to the gem and it will began to record." Obviously he was not an earring connoisseur.

"What about the pin" Natalia asked.

"The pin is a tracking device. The extra engraving on the right gives it away, but anyone would hardly notice. To activate the tracker you take the back off." Natalia nodded.

"And this is a watch. Connected to the pin it can show the quickest route to it. It is also equipped with tiny Taser discs attached underneath it. To get the Tasers you twist the dial until the top part opens up. A sharp impact will trigger the switch. And once they are activated they will go off within a second and a half. And, to top it all off, it tells the time perfectly, down to the second."

"What's that?" Natalia asked.

Ivan held up what he was holding in his hand. "Best for last," Ivan smiled. "These, are Widows Bites, made especially for you. Essentially, they shoot electricity into your victim. Turn this dial to the left and it merely stuns them. All the way to the right will kill them." The Widow's bites wrapped around her wrists. When turned on they emitted a blue light.

"To activate them you press this button at the base of your palm."

Natalia grinned, "Thank you sir,"

"These items are yours now," Ivan said, gesturing to the lighter, earrings, pin, watch, and Widow's bites. "If you ever need to restock, this is your room."

**Hope you liked this chapter, with the brainwashing and missions. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter, or story so far, constructive criticism is welcome :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry its taken me a while to update... I just couldn't figure out how to write this chapter. But it's the weekend, so hopefully i can write more :)**

"_Your name is Lucy Edgar. Your mission is to infiltrate the Bristol Research Centre over the course of 3 months. You are to determine whether there is a covert operative working there. If there is, he or she will be French and working for the Ministry of Defense."_

"And this is the biology department," The lady finished. Natalia stood in a crowd of young people roughly 20. After 30 minutes at her laptop the previous day she had secured her name in the list of interns at the Bristol Research Centre. Lucy Edgar was 20 years old and an intern at the Research Centre. As Lucy was 3 years older than Natalia, she made up for it by dressing and applying more makeup to her face. The result was believable.

"I am going to read off the list of interns with each handler. Your handlers are through this door. You will do whatever your handlers asks of you, understood?" a shimmer of nods wove through the interns.

"Dr. Birch: Amelia Hearston, Cameron Dylons, Emma Stacy, Kyle Stevens, and Mary Hart." The woman listed off a number of names. Natalia focused on her surroundings. They were in a wide white hall. People bustled around her, all consumed in their task. The woman kept on listing names until " With Dr. Summers we have Grace Jades, Lucy Edgar, Nicholas Jones, Gwendolyn Ikipski, and Max Hilton.

* * *

><p>"Edgar, take these down to Dr. Amery in the labs and while your down there grab me a coffee." Dr. summers instructed her.<p>

'No milk and no sugar,' thought Natalia.

"No milk and no sugar." Interns were literally nothing at the Research Centre.

Natalia walked down the modern, white walls of the building carrying a pile of papers. She surveyed the people around her. After 2 weeks she had given up on observing everybody. The Organization was huge; it would take much longer than 3 months to find the operative.

So Natalia had decided to put herself in the operative's place. What would she do. Who would she be. She would be someone who had an excuse to be everywhere. Somebody no one would question what they were doing or why. Absorbed in her thoughts Natalia walked down the hall, scarcely seeing her surroundings. Until a body crashed into her, causing her papers to get strewn throughout the hallway.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry, let me help you with those." Young woman of about 27 bent down to help her.

"No really, it was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"I've been so distracted lately. My boss, you know, Mr. Seymour has been threatening to cut people all month."

"What department are you in?"

"Oh, I don't work here. I'm at Beasley Architecture. We designed this building." The woman squinted at her, "You haven't been here long have you?"

Natalia shrugged, " I'm an intern I've been here about 2 weeks. I'm still trying to find my way around here to be honest."

"Well, I come about twice a week, so see you around." The woman handed Natalia a paper and walked off.

"One coffee please. No milk and no sugar." Natalia instructed the barista at the coffee bar. "

"Coming right up," An intern was the optimal cover for this mission because there were many of them and they basically did whatever their superiors told them to. They were invisible.

"Have you seen Dr. Summers today?" Gwendolyn said. Dr. Summer's 5 interns sat around a table in the cafeteria.

"I know, he's been busting my arse today with filing and sorting." Max complained.

"And he's had me running down to the labs everyday. Hey, on my way down there today I ran into one of the architecture people. How long ago was the building constructed?" Natalia asked.

Nicholas shrugged, " I dunno, I think about 3 or 4 months ago. They're probably just smoothing out the kinks.

"You haven't even have the worst of it Lucy, he likes you." Gwendolyn said, returning to their former subject.

"What?"

"If he had to chose a favorite," Gwendolyn leaned closer to the table, "It would be you."

"You think running back and forth from the labs is bad, try filing all day," Max shuddered. Natalia looked at her fellow interns. She had been completely oblivious to Dr. Summer's favoritism.

"I…. really? I don't think so," Natalia said.

"Filing, ugh, it's the worst." Max said.

"No, I mean about the favoritism thing."

"Oh, well, I'm surprised you haven't noticed it yet."

"I mean, picks on you, but is obvious it's the 'you're my favorite' picking on. He wants to see how much sh*t you can take." Gwendolyn said.

"Why would he like me?"

"Well, it must be that arse of yours, if not your personality." Nicholas teased.

"Or the way you say 'yes sir' to everything." Grace spoke up.

"I dunno, it might be that little hair flip she does," Max said.

"Can we please change the subject. I mean he's my boss."

"Fine."

"Hey Nick, did you ever get those graphs from Dr. Aukstrom?" Max asked. "Cause this afternoon Summers said he was going to show me what they showed."

"Sh*t, I forgot. I'll be right back. Nicholas slid his chair back and started to go retrieve the forgotten graphs.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Lucy! It's Lucy right?" The woman Natalia ran into on Monday called her name through the hall.<p>

Natalia turned "Hey….. Sorry, I didn't catch your name last time we met." Of course she knew it was Marie Talbot, but an average person wouldn't have caught it in their brief meeting.

"Marie Talbot. I though I'd see you around.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, my boss wanted me to check up on some malfunction. Well, I've got to split. See you?" As Marie walked away Natalia realized she had never told her her name. Perhaps the operative was not working at The Research Centre directly. And she had an excuse to be anywhere as her company had designed the building. Natalia smirked slightly. She believed she had found the agent.

**I hope you liked this chapter, reviews are always welcome and really helpful :)**


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